Childhood Memories
by susan friedman
Summary: Almanzo surprises Laura in her study while she is writing her "remembrance books" which will eventually become the little house books. At Almanzo's insistence, she shares a few childhood memories with him. Chapter 2 added. Written by request. Please enjoy
1. Chapter 1

Childhood Memories

"Whatcha up to?"

Laura looked up from her writing desk and turned to face Almanzo who was standing at the doorway of her study.

"What does it look like?" she answered smiling at him. Instead of getting up, she turned back to her desk and picked up her pencil.

"You know,"Almanzo smiled. He inched away from the doorway and stood blocking the entrance. "I've never seen a woman with more remembrances than you."

Laura put the pencil down and turned to face him. "Come on, Manly," she said, "you have to have memories of your childhood too. Everyone does. "

Almanzo laughed. He walked toward her, grabbing an extra wicker chair which Laura always kept for visitors. He set down next to her.

"Yeah, I do, Beth" he nodded his head, "but I never wrote them down before."

Laura smiled and placed her hand to Almanzo's cheek. "Maybe they're not as exciting as mine."

He smiled, grabbing her hand. "Oh really, is that what you think? I can think of plenty. Like the time I…"

Laura shook her head. "Save the memories for later, Manly. One day I'll write them all down for you so we can sit and discuss them. Right now I want to finish this."

"You mind sharing some of them, Beth?" he asked, taking both her hands in his. Day's done. I've checked on things at the farm and everything is well. We can sit here and I can listen to you remember. I haven't heard your voice all day. I was beginning to miss it."

Laura laughed and looked into her husband's eyes. "Which one do you want to hear?" she asked him.

"Why don't you start at the beginning, Beth," he said, still holding her hands in his. "We'll figure the rest out."

" _If I had a remembrance book, I would mark down how it was when we left our little house in the big woods to go west to Indian Territory. We had to go, Pa said, because so many people had come to live in the big woods, there wasn't enough game anymore for him to hunt and he feared we might go hungry. Ma said we might never again see Grandma and Grandpa, or Aunt Docia and Aunt Ruby and Uncle George. Though it made me sad, I still thought it a fine thing to go where there had never been a road before. We'd go where the land was more bountiful, he said, and he sold our house and land and cow, and packed whatever would fit in the wagon. I was glad Pa took his fiddle, for it makes a joysome sound. Mary was afraid to go, but I knew nothing bad could happen as long as we had Pa and Jack. Jack is my best and truest friend and Pa says there has never been a better watchdog. I knew there would be rivers to cross and hills to climb, and I was glad, for this is a fair land and I rejoiced that I would see it."_

That was the first time I met Mr. Edwards. My family loved him, except maybe Ma, but she didn't take to kindly to him the first time especially when he taught me to spit.

" _Laura! Just what do you think you're doing?_ Ma asked me. I repeated what she said and then she pounced on Mr. Edwards.

" _Spit?"_ she asked. " _Do you consider that a worthy accomplishment, Mr. Edwards?"_ and I remember his answer, clear as a bell.

" _Well, I don't know how worth it is, ma'am, but it sure comes in handy in a stiff breeze."_

Christmas came and went on the prairie and he brought us our presents from Santa. Mr. Edwards explained to all of us that he met him and his pack mule coming out of a saloon in Independence. My sisters and I got silver cups, candy canes and a penny each. And that's when Ma changed her mind about him. It wasn't too long that we were evicted from our first little house on the prairie and moved on from there to Walnut Grove, Minnesota.

"I didn't realize that you met him out in Kansas," Almanzo said, smiling. He watched as Laura nodded her head. "Well you said start at the beginning. What else would you like to hear?"

"How about the first time you met the Olesons?"

Laura smiled. "Now how many times have you heard that story, Mr. Wilder?" Laura asked, smiling at him.

"I guess I lost count," he answered, smiling back. "Always loved to hear it, no matter how many times you tell it. "

Nellie and her mother always referred to Mary and me as "country girls." She stared us down when we walked into the classroom. We even had a fight at recess. Well, it was more of a shoving match, really. But we found out later who Nellie and her brother Willie were spoiled rotten by the high and mighty Mrs. Harriet Oleson. She tried to rule with an iron fist and that included her husband, Nels, even though he sometimes stuck up for himself. He would do play fair while Mrs. Oleson would not. Ma was one that was treated unfairly, especially when she brought in her eggs to sell. Some were brown and so Mrs. Oleson would give her a lower price. That is, until she sold the brown eggs to someone at Hansen's Mill for three cents more than Mrs. Oleson would give her.

I did learn how to read and write, despite Nellie's bossy attitude, thanks to our wonderful teacher, Miss Beadle. We were becoming more accepted in town. But there was always competition between the Olesons and the Ingalls, especially Nellie and me. Personalities, I guess. How we got to be friends later on was a miracle.

"Well," Almanzo laughed, "I do remember when we first got to town. You and Nellie fought over me. The cinnamon chicken, remember?"

Laura smiled and nodded her head. "It was more like cayenne pepper chicken, Manly. I couldn't believe you forgave me for all that. "

"You weren't spoiled and stuck up, Beth. You were full of spunk and confident. I guess I fell in love with you the first time I ever saw you."

"There were plenty of times that I was scared, especially when Miss Beadle sent us home from school early one Christmas Eve. Mary, Carrie and I got lost and we found an abandoned barn where we took shelter. Pa managed to find us so we were one of the lucky ones as were Mr. Edward's adopted kids, Carl and Alicia. I will never forget that."

"There was also the time that Pa and I went hunting. No one wanted me to go, but I got to go anyway. Maybe it was a lucky thing to because Pa was accidently shot. I took charge and found my way to the Shelby's cabin where I found Sam Shelby. He helped me bring Pa back to the cabin. We found Mr. Edwards, and then we found Dr. Canby. We hurried back to the cabin, but by that time Pa was gone. Mr. Edwards found Pa in Morgan Creek. Somehow, we got him back to the cabin. We prayed and waited while the doctor operated on him."

Almanzo nodded. "Sam Shelby and his boy Ben, wasn't it? Sam was blind wasn't he?"

Laura nodded. "We met them on the trail. They were doing some trapping, well actually Ben was. Sam refused to go. Then Ben met someone called Glover and disappeared."

"But you still convinced Sam to help didn't you?

"Yes, I managed to. I may have felt confident at the time, but I always felt guilty. Always felt as if it was my fault for hitting that gun with my bedroll. It was the same as when Freddie died and I ran into the mountains. "

"Yep, I remember you telling me about that. You didn't pray for your brother to get well like everyone else did. "

Laura stood up and moved closer to her husband. "I spoke with Reverend Alden when we attended church and he told me that I had to get closer to God. So I climbed a mountain to get closer. And then I met Jonathan who helped me. He made me a cross with my name on it, but I lost it in the stream. I didn't want to be found until God took me instead of my brother. I didn't want to be found until that happened. Jonathan told me to build a fire so that God could find me quicker and so we did. That's when Pa and Mr. Edwards found me and took me home. When I tried to find Jonathan again, he had disappeared."

Almanzo stood and wrapped his arms around his wife. Their daughter, Rose, was grown and was now a successful author. She had come back to Mansfield in 1928 and built for them a small house where they could retire and enjoy life. They called it the Rock House because its siding was built of rocks. It had all the modern conveniences of the day and the Wilders had been trying it out for almost a year now.

The clock on the mantel struck 12 midnight. The two broke apart.

"Guess we've been reminiscing too long," Almanzo said, placing an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, it's time for bed."

He gave Laura a squeeze and the two walked out of the study and headed for the bedroom. It had been a long day, but it was fun to remember; at least every now and then.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Got more stories to relate?"

Laura looked up from her writing and smiled. "Manly, you know you've heard them all. Besides, why aren't you down at the farm?"

Almanzo crept closer. "We're supposed to be relaxin', Beth," he said, watching her face. "Beside, Rose has it all under control over there. I've already been there, she shooed me away. She's going to come by tomorrow to check on us anyway, so we have this day to ourselves. Come on, Beth, you've got so many stories to share. I really don't want to be one of those that will read about them years later."

Laura laughed and got up from her chair. She walked over to her husband and took him in her arms, then sat down again.

"Oh, okay, Manly, I'll start off with Bunny, a horse that I had when I was a kid. I traded Bunny away to the Oleson's so I could buy a stove for Ma as a Christmas present. I got to see her everyday as I passed by on the way to school. One day, on the way back, Mary and I caught Nellie abusing Bunny, whipping her with a riding crop. I warned her to be gentle, but she didn't listen and Bunny took off with Nellie hitting a tree branch and knocking her off. Doc Baker diagnosed her with a slight concussion and told her to rest, but Mrs. Oleson got angry and started screaming. She blamed me for what happened to Nellie because I had Bunny first. She even went so far as to say that Bunny was a bad horse and should be put down. That's when I stole Bunny and brought her back to the little house. But Pa took me back to see Nellie the next day. I felt so bad, Manly, that I cried and promised I'd do anything for Nellie, anything. And so I did her homework for her. "

"Yeah, but that's not all, was it?" Almanzo smiled. He moved to the edge of his seat to hear the rest, even though he knew what was coming next.

Laura stared at him. "Well, Manly, you know the next part is about Jason?"

Almanzo nodded. "I met him, remember? Go on."

Laura shrugged and continued. "Well, Jason and I were supposed to go fishing, but Nellie, who had a crush on him, made me promise that I wouldn't speak to him again. When Jason found out, he said he felt nothing for Nellie, but it didn't matter because I didn't have time for him. I was falling behind in my own schoolwork and my chores. Meantime, Nellie wasn't getting any better and at Mr. Oleson and Doc Baker's urging, Pa fixed up an old wheelchair and gave it to the Oleson's. When Mrs. Oleson came over to thank Pa for the wheelchair, she saw me with Bunny and wanted me to give the horse to her. That's when jumped on her and rode straight over to Nellie's. I stopped when I heard music coming from the house. I jumped off and looked in the window and guess what?"

"She was dancing with her new doll, wasn't she?" Almanzo was enjoying this. Laura was actually getting angry.

Laura tried to keep a straight face. She hadn't realized that the story got the better of her. After all, this was a long time ago.

"Yep, that's what she was doing. I couldn't believe that she had been lying to me all this time. I was so angry that I walked straight inside the house and offered to take Nellie for a ride on her wheelchair. I pushed her up a really steep hill despite her objections and then, with both hands, shoved the chair down the other side. The chair was moving so quickly that it didn't stay straight; it kept moving from side to side until finally Nellie landed in a pool of mud. Nellie got up out of the chair and walked around yelling and screaming. Mrs. Oleson saw it all, but she never came after me. She just thought that it was a miracle that Nellie was finally able to walk."

Almanzo shook his head. "And everyone lived happily ever after. That's a great story, Beth. It should fit right into the remembrance books."

Laura calmed down and started laughing herself; letting go of her anger. She couldn't believe it still affected her like that.

"What else you want to hear?" she asked.

"Well, Halloween's coming up," he said, "I know you have a story for that holiday."

Laura nodded her head. "Yes, I do. It involves Mr. Oleson cutting off Mrs. Oleson's head. He saw me looking in the window and asked me not to tell anyone. I really believed that he did it, but I had a hard time convincing anyone else. No one believed me, even when I told Willie and Nellie. Carl, Mr. Edward's adopted son, and I sneaked over there and saw Mr. Oleson stuffing a body in a bag. Then Willie comes to school with an apron that looked as if it were full of blood. He told us that he heard Mr. Oleson digging in the basement and asked us to come back with him to investigate. And of course we do. It's then that Nellie jumped out at us wearing a sheet scaring us out of the house. That's when Mrs. Oleson came back home. Turns out that Mr. Oleson cut off a mannequin's head and put the body of another mannequin into a bag making me believe that it was Mrs. Oleson all the time. I had some horrible dreams about that." Laura frowned. "Now don't you go laughing at me, Almanzo Wilder," she scolded, trying to keep a straight face.

But he couldn't help it. He had a wide grin on his face and it was hard for him to calm down. These are great, Laura."

"I have another, Manly, and I guess I have to warn you that it's not so funny. I don't think I told you about this and I'm not sure my parents did either."

Almanzo looked at her. "It's the one about Ellen, isn't it?"

Laura eyes grew wide. "Then you heard it?"

Almanzo shook his head. "Not the whole thing. I heard it only in passing, Beth. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."

Laura shook her head. "No, I really should. I haven't spoken of it in so long, if at all. You see, Mary, Carrie and I went swimming in the lake. We invited a new friend to come with us, Ellen Taylor. I wanted to cut through Mr. Busby's yard, but Mary reminded me not to. While swimming, Carrie noticed two boys spying on us and we all dove down into the lake and waited for them to leave. Mary and I came up for air to see if the coast was clear and sure enough, they were gone. We called for Ellen, but she didn't come up. That night, a search party dragged the lake and found Ellen at the bottom. Well, her mother blamed me. Then she blamed Ellen's father for not being home. Reverend Alden tried to calm her down, but she wasn't listening to anyone. When I had heard what I happened, I tried to make it better for Mrs. Taylor and I brought her flowers. She liked the flowers well enough, but then Mrs. Taylor starting acting strangely. She asked me to go down to the root cellar to get her some apples. I should have known better because when I got there she locked me inside. Pa told me later that he and Mr. Garvey searched for me, but Mrs. Taylor denied she ever saw me."

Almanzo could see that it was hard for Laura to continue. "Beth, you don't have to finish…"

Laura shook her head again. "No, Manly, it's alright. I should talk about it, besides the story is almost finished." She took a deep breath and continued. "A search party was formed and even Mr. Taylor joined in. In the end, I escaped when Mrs. Taylor realized that I wasn't her daughter when she saw her gravestone. "

"I didn't understand then, Manly, but I guess I don't blame her. I only realized how she felt when Rose was kidnapped by that woman who lost her own baby."

"I know, Laura, and I'm sorry. I always blamed myself. I never should have taken my eyes of her."

Laura shook her head and touched his cheek. "No, it's not all your fault, Manly. You didn't think anything was going to happen to her. We managed to get her back, thanks to little Samuel remembering that he saw her."

Almanzo saw tears run down her cheeks. "Beth," he said, getting up from his chair and put his arms around her while she cried.

"In the end, everything worked out," Almanzo said, still holding her tightly. "Samuel was adopted and Rose was returned. And here you are safe and sound with me. We are lucky, Beth. Lucky to be here with our family just as Pa and Ma were lucky to have you."

He let her go. "It's a beautiful day, Beth. Come on, let's go for a walk. It'll calm you down some."

Laura nodded. "Let's go see the farm, Manly. Sometimes I miss the place."

"Ready?" Almanzo asked as he grabbed her hand in his.

"As I'll ever be," Laura nodded.


End file.
